We Are Not Alone

well than dare to dream and tell us of the possibilities of life elsewhere.

 

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We thank you. Einstein would thank you too.

 

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Just because we know of only one environment that supports life doesn't mean that other environments like Venus or Mars couldn't support life. I mean come on the only reason life on our planet is here is because A) Bacteria evolved and B) because we adapted to our environment. Whos to say that Aliens haven't adapted to crushing pressures or extremely high/low temperatures?

 

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Still can't get over how arrogant it is to assume "No intelligent life exists" anywhere else in the universe.

UNBELIEVABLE.

Even if you can say such a thing is one in 200 billion shot (I.E one solar system in a galaxy the size of ours). There are how many BILLIONS of galaxies out there?

ARROGANCE , unforgivable ARROGANCE. These same people have the same mindset that had the universe revolving around us a few hundred years ago. Scientific DOGMA exists. Proof.

 

what you are saying of course is quite correct IMO
Just that science does not want to rely on obvious logical conclusions to make assessments. Which is a bit of a paradoxical way of thinking given that science is founded on the use of logic.

It makes perfect sense to state quite clearly and with out any question of doubt that we can not assume at any moment that we are alone in this universe.

It is obvious and straight forward, however to live under this logical conclusion is one that humans have an inherant fear or paranoia about as it renders our sense of superiority useless. We would rather believe in a lie and support our egos than deal with the obvious truths.

Its more a comfort zone thing I guess.

I was writing a short story the other day that descibes how a race of ignorant and arrogant people is wiped out simply because they didn't realise that they had a neighbouring race [ another galaxy ] experimenting with certain technologies that unfortunately detroyed them selves and the ignorant race.

This sort of fear of not being in control or having certainty drives this never ending speculation on a subject that has only one solution.

We are not alone! end of story.

 

Nobody here has said anything of that sort. What we are debating is the presence of intelligent life in our galaxy, not anywhere the universe.

 

"One day some alien being will knock on our ignorant door and state
"Sorry about this but your planet is in the way of a galactic freeway and is hence forth going to be removed in 30 minutes. bye""
~ ripped from the movie - hitch hikers guide to the galaxy

 

Oh well that makes a lot more sense...sure. Oh I feel completely reassured by this, comon...

The Fermi paradox stops it's conclusions at the Galaxy, where we can barely detect planets even a few light years away(the size of Jupiter). That's like Leeuwenhoek looking at a paramecium through his first microscope and saying "Whelp that's it I've discovered the smallest organism".

Ridiculous.

ARROGANCE. The most arrogant jumping to conclusion - ever.

We might look like ants to intelligences out there, or we are in fact somehow the most advanced yet, or multitudes have already obliterated themselves innumerable times over the past few galactic eons. It may be the conditions for star travel are more importantly philosophical than technological, that an absolute rule of peace is not only discovered, but must be maintained (and in my belief Peace is maintained by non-interference) to become a space-faring species.

And indeed we may be alone, but to jump to that conclusion bears such a massive lack of imagination, such a pathetic assumption that I question not only it's originator's intelligence, I wonder if they have any DNA that might even be remotely useful to the human race in the future. Go live in a cave.

 

The only thing that is ridiculous and arrogant, nietzschefan, is your inability to accept that some opposing hypothesis might be correct. You are the one living in a cave.

 

Don't you have anything better to do than to comment on 5 pages worth of discussion that you completely misunderstand?

 

And here is my one-liner response to you guys. What did I misunderstand exactly?

 

Not much.

 

Of cours there is inteligent life in our galaxy. We most probably wont be able to find it or under stand it, but it is most likley there.
We humans tend to think of alaiens like us, but the probabilities are that it would be nothing like us. Most likley using technologies that we cant comprehend.

 

There is no basis for stating probability or making a decent guess as to whether aliens would be much like us or much different or some of each.

 

there is a basis.
The fact that we only have ourselves( planet earth) to look at for life limits our ability to see what we do not comprehend. This leaves an unknown nuber of possabilities we cant understand. Sheer numbers alone prove the possability is more likely than non likley.

 

We really do not have enough information to make even guesses either way.

 

The universe is a hell of a lot bigger than our galaxy. If we are the only intelligent species in our galaxy, and there is one intelligent species per galaxy, there would be billions of intelligent species.

But, if there ARE intelligent species in other galaxies, our chances of finding them are very slim when compared to our chances of finding other species in THIS galaxy, should they exist.

That's probably true, but one can try to make an educated guess either way.

 

No dude, not even educated guesses.

 

With only 1 planet known to have llfe, there is NO education available for an educated guess.

“ Originally Posted by StrangerInAStrangeLa
There is no basis for stating probability or making a decent guess as to whether aliens would be much like us or much different or some of each. ”

You challenge me, saying there is a basis then you support my statement.

 

Considering the transmission time delays even within our galaxy compared to the known period that even radio communication has existed, it is quite possible that neither (if there are two) society advanced to radio stage within our galaxy would over lap in time for communication.

There is no evidence that advanced (able to make radiowaves and change their enviroment) societies are stable for even 1000 years. There are some increasingly strong suggestions that they are not, based on the one sample we have.